Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam In India

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was founded in 1949 by C. N. Annadurai. The party got a major boost in 1953 when well known actor M G Ramachandran joined the ranks. MGR, as he was popularly known, promoted DMK's symbol and flag through his movies. Till 1962, DMK thrived on a secession from India plank. it's leaders wanted a separate nation led by Dravidians. However, 1962 war with China changed things and forced DMK to leave a separate nation demand.

This did not stop DMK to raise voice against the mother tongue Hindi though. Their anti-Hindi agitations helped them join the mainstream politics of Tamil Nadu and they won the state polls for the first time in 1967. M Karunanidhi was chosen as party president in 1969, a post which he still continues to enjoy.

One of the major upheavals in DMK history came in 1972, when MGR left DMK following a tiff with M Karunanidhi. MGR formed AIADMK, which continues to be DMK's arch rival till date.

In the past few years, DMKI has been heavily bogged down with corruption cases, mainly the 2G scam. The scam has sent major leaders of DMK like A Raja, and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi in jail. The 2011 Tamil Nadu assembly polls were one of the worst for DMK as it managed to win just 23 seats.